Mail-box signal.



No.82? ,7,91 K PATENTEDJUNEIQ, 1906.

E. B. KITCHEN. I MAIL BOX SIGNAL.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 12. 1906."

ZB/filchen w w 1 10' companying drawings, inwhich- UNITED J STATESPATENT oEEIoE.

ERNEST B. KITCHEN, OF WHITE POST, VIRGINIA.

MAlL-BOX SIGNAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 19, 1906.

Application filed February 12,1906; Serial No. 300,772.

useful mprovementsin Mail-Box Signals, of

which the following is a specification.

Myinvention relates to certain new and useful improvements in mail-boxesand signals therefor, and particularly to that type of mail-box intendedfor individual use along ruralefree delivery routes. Mail-boxes of this",character are usually placed along the main road, and hence they arevery often at a considerable distance from the residence of the party orparties using the box, and it has been found essential or advantageousto provide these boxes under the circumstances with visible signalsthatwill indicate to the carrier that mailhas been deposited in the box forhis collection, so that he will not have to alight unnecessarily, and toindicateto the house older that mail has been de osited in the box bytheletter-carrier, there y avoidto the box to ascertain whet ing thenecessity of his making er or not the latter contains mail-matter.

It is the object of my invention to rovide improvements in thesesignaling evices, such improvements being characterized by exceedingsimplicity and cheapness of manufacture, durability,'and efliciency ofopera- 7 tion.

To this end the invention consists of a rural-free-deliver mail-boxprovided with a visible signaling eviceconsisting of few and simpleparts and embodlying a target which is designed .to be manna y moved toraised to extr'actthe. deposited mail-matter therefrom.

For a full description of the invention and the merits thereof and alsoto acquire a knowledge of the details of construction of the means foreffecting the result reference is to be had to the following descriptionand ac- Figure 1 isa perspective view ofmy improved mail-boxh Flg. 2 isa transverse sectional view thereof and illustrates the lid closed andthe target or signal in the display a useless trip the dis-' playposition whenever desired and auto-- position. Fig, 3 is a similar viewand illustrates the lid partially open and the signal dropped to theinoperative position. Fig. 4

is a detail perspective view of the three,

simple parts of which my invention is comprised.

" Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followindescription and indicated in all the views 0 the drawings by the samereference, characters.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates the body of the box,which is preferably composed, as well as the hinged lid 2, of sheetmetal, so that it will be durable and substantially proof against theaction of the elements. The 'lid 2 is hinged to the top of the box andat the upper rear edge thereof, as indicated in Figs. Z'and 3. To theunder side of the lid there is secured a leaf-spring 3. The spring 3 isscrewed or riveted atits rear end to the lid 2 and is provided with afree or unattached angular portion 4, ofiset somewhat from the undersurface of the lidand extending substantially at right angles to the.axis about which the lid turns. 'The spring 3 is preferably formed atthe extremity of its free or offset portion 4 with a downwardlyextendingform a V-s aped lug'5 This construction produces a lug of suiiicientstrength in a sim le'and cheap manner.

T e signal proper is constituted by an arm 6, g'voted at its end to oneside of the box an designed to swing about such end in a vertical plane.The arm 6 carries at its free end' atarget 7, which is preferablyintegral therewith and which may be of any desired form or design;Preferablyit is of some contrasting color, so as to bereadilydiscernible. Inthe preferable construction of the arm 6 it is providedwith an integral pivoted stud 8,

mounted in a bearing-aperture in the side of the box and extends throughsaid side to the inner face thereof, where-it is provided with a reducedextension 9. A detent I0 is securely fastenedon the extension 9 of thepivoted stud 8,, so as to turn therewith and with the arm 6, and thedetent is so ositionedwith res ect to the arm and to the ug 5 at thefreeen of thebpring' 3 that when the lid 2 is down, or in its loweredposition, the lug will stand in the path of thexdetent, so that the armcarrying the target 7 may be manually 'turnedto the raised or displayposition and the detent pushed past thelug 5 and be held ortion returnedupon itself tothereby, so as to maintain the target in the raisedposition. The detent 10 is preferably formed at one side with acam-surface 11, which assists in its action in passing the lug 5. Thelid may be secured in its lowered position by means of a padlock 12 orsimilar 'device.

From the foregoing description, in connection with the accompanyingdrawings; it will be seen that when the lid 2 of the mail-box is in itslowered position and mail has been'deposited therein, as by means of theslot 13, visible indication of this fact may be effected by manuallyraising the arm 6 so as to bring its target to the display position, inwhich it will be held by the detent 10 being engaged by the lug 5. Assoon, however, as the lid 2 is raised to extract the mail-matter fromthe box the arm 6, with its target -7, will drop to the inoperative andout-of-the-way position, (illustrated in Fig. 3,) owing to the fact thatthe spring 8 is carried 'by the hinged lid 2, and that therefore the lugof the spring will be carried out of engagement with the detent 10 whenthe free end of the lid 2 is raised. It will be seen that I haveprovided a device of the character herein set forth which embodies veryfew and simple parts, so that it may be cheaply manufactured, and is notliable to get out of order, while at the same time it will be efficientin operation. Preferably in order to prevent the arm 6 from being turnedback past the center a stop lug or stud l'projects from the side of thebox, and the position of said lug is such, as well as the relativepositionof the other parts, that the arm 6 in raised position will beheldat one side of its center, so that when the detent 1O is released itwill fall by its own weight.

Havin thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. Adevice of the character described comprising a box provided with a lid,a spring secured at one end to the under side of said lid and providedat its free end with a -tent being designed to spring past the lug withthe lid in the lower or closed position, so that the lug will engagewith the detent and hold the arm with its target in the visibleposition.

2. A device of the character described, comprising a mail-box providedat its top with a hinged lid, a spring secured at one end tothe underside of said lid and provided with a portion offset from the under sideof the lid and formed at its extremity with a downwardlyextendingportion returned upon itself to form a lug, an arm provided at one endwith a pivoted stud mounted in one side of the box, said stud extendinthrough the box, a cam-detent secured to t e extension of said stud anddesigned to spring past said lug with the lid in the lowered positionwhereby said lug will engage the detent and hold 'the arm raised, andsaid arm carrying at its other end a target, as and for the purpose setforth.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ERNEST B. KITCHEN.

Witnesses:

J. D. YOAKLEY, W. N. WOODSON.

